1. INDEFINITE ARTICLE (‘a’, ‘an’)
A and AN are used before singular countable nouns
- a blackboard, a broom, a ceiling fan, a chair, a chalk, a computer, a computer laboratory, a door, a dictionary, a drawer, a duster, a feather duster, a girl, a hostel, a jaw, a kid, a lamp, a laptop, a library, a mirror, a name tag, a notebook, a notice board, a question, a razor, a scoop, a science laboratory, a sill, a table, a teacher's table, a textbook, a uniform, a veil, a wastepaper basket, a whiteboard, a window, a wooden table
A is used with a noun which begins with a consonant sound
- a foot, a head, a cheek, a finger, a fingernail, a toe, a thumb, a stomach, a tongue, a tooth, a forehead, a forearm, a nostril, a chin, a dimple, a navel, a thigh, a chest, a neck, a nose, a mouth, a hand, a knee, a toenail, a joint, a vowel, a university (y), a utensil (y)
AN is used before a noun which begins with a vowel
VOWEL A: an acre, an ace, an adder, an angel, an ankle, an antelope, an antler, an ape, an apex, an armadillo, an armpit, an angler, an anteater, an ant, an artist, an architect, an awning, an attorney
VOWEL E: an eyebrow, an eyelid, an eyelash, an earphone, an eel, an eagle, an editor, an employer, an employee, an egret, an earthling, an elf, an eardrum, an elk, an eggbeater, an error, an earring
VOWEL I: an igloo, an island, an isle, an islet, an idol, an ink bottle, an image, an idiot, an iris, an ibex, an idea, an ivory, an inn, an institution, an impostor, an icon, an itinerary, an idea, an issue, an isotope, an iceberg, an icebox, an isthmus, an institute, an icicle, an iguana, an ivy, an inch
VOWEL O: an omen, an officer, an otter, an orphan, an orbit, an ostrich, an ogre, an ovary, an organ, an offence, an offender, an offer, an owl, an omnibus, an oesophagus, an oar, an orator, an origami
VOWEL U: an udder, an undertaker, an underwear, an uncle, an undergarment
DEFINITE ARTICLE (‘the’)
It is used to refer to a particular person or thing
- The school where I undertook my secondary education is SMK Padang Terap
- The university I plan to go to study Civil Engineering is University of Malaya
- The car that Man drives is Perodua Kancil.
- The magazine that they subscribe is SOLUSI.
It is also used to refer to only on such thing in the world – the Earth, the moon, the sun, the sky, the air
It used before
- superlatives : the highest (high), the richest (rich), the tallest (tall)
- names of rivers : the Rajang river, the Pahang river, the Nile
- island groups : the Phillipines, the Spratlys
- oceans : Indian Ocean, Atlantic Ocean
- mountain ranges : the Himalaya, the Titiwangsa
- superlatives : the highest (high), the richest (rich), the tallest (tall)
- names of rivers : the Rajang river, the Pahang river, the Nile
- island groups : the Phillipines, the Spratlys
- oceans : Indian Ocean, Atlantic Ocean
- mountain ranges : the Himalaya, the Titiwangsa
2. OMISSION OF ARTICLES
We do not use articles before
– the names of towns : Sik, Kuala Kangsar, Chuping, Tawau, Muar
- the names of villages : Kampung Pisang, Kampung Pulau Nyior
- the names of cities : Alor Setar, Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh, Johor Baru,
Kuantan, Georgetown
- the names of states : Kedah, Perlis, Fujian (China), Texas (USA)
- the names of most countries : Kuwait, Cambodia,
Brunei, Egypt, Spain,
Iraq, Bangladesh, India, Brazil,
Vietnam, Iran, Palestine
No article is used before
- the names of games : tennis, polo, hockey, rugby,
baseball, football, netball,
basketball, volleyball, golf,
equestrian, skiing, cycling, judo,
karate-do, taekwondo
- the names of certain diseases : influenza, emphysema, diabetes,
cholera, pneumonia, dengue
- the names of roads and streets : Chow Kit Road, Petaling Street,
Jalan Padang Sanai
